Let me start by saying I adore my 8 yr old son Luke AND also my half angel/half devil 5 yr old daughter Valentina. Luke is a rule follower and a child that uses indoor voices while in the house or in public , and avoids embarrassing himself while his little sister seems to think rules don’t apply to her, doesn’t mind making a scene and having strangers look at her, and must think that everyone in CVS today enjoyed her screeching through the store, “PLLLLLLEAAAAAASEEEEEEEEEE Mommy, but I’ve never had a push pop before, but PPPPLEASEEEEEEEEEEEE,” until I do what every parent knows is the worst thing you can do, give in and get it for her since I just couldn’t hear that whiney voice for another minute. It’s been a wonderful, but long summer and the counselor, a.k.a. yours truly, is getting exhausted. While my Son was in school until the 3rd week of June, my daughter has been home already 3 months, since her preschool ended in early May, that’s right, May. There have been some really great times we have had this summer with some fun trips and sharing great times with friends and family. The children have also been a lot of fun generally speaking, but this Mommy is starting to feel like a rag doll! Some positive things are that Luke keeps coming up to me and asking me for a hug (and I know there may only be a few more years that he’ll initiate that) so I’m loving every minute of it and Valentina will look into my eyes and tell me I’m the best Mommy in the whole world, so what Mom won’t take that compliment. On the negative side the kids and I are together 24/7 and every day is family day with me and the kids so by the end of the day the kids have had enough of each other and are fighting in the car or in a store or at the house and I’m on my last nerve and reaching for a glass of wine when my husband walks in the door from work. And then when he says something like “I was thinking we can take a day trip or overnight trip this weekend as a family,” I want to say,” every day for me is family day so maybe you can go away with the kids for some bonding time because the kids and I are like superglue right now so tightly bonded!” And then I have to take a deep breath, chug a few sips of wine and remember that the days are numbered, the days until school starts and this year will take both kids away on the big yellow bus, the days until they are teenagers and don’t want to be with their family but would rather hang out with friends, and then days until they leave the house, so I might as well take all the weekend trips together that come our way, and besides… I can always find a wine store on the way. 😉